Corporate and total U.S. air ticket sales each rebounded in July after declining in June, according to the latest monthly report from Airlines Reporting Corp.
July air tickets sold by U.S. corporate agencies, those with at least 70 percent self-reported corporate and government business, increased 11.2 percent year over year after dipping 7.2 percent in June. It was the largest such increase reported since May 2023, when sales also were up 11.2 percent.
Total July U.S.-based agency air ticket sales increased 4.9 percent year over year and 4.7 percent month over month to nearly $8 billion. The rebound follows a June year-over-year decline of 6.2 percent.
The U.S. domestic sector led the turnaround, with more than 15.4 million passenger trips reported in July, up 12.5 percent year over year and 8.6 percent month over month. International trips totaled nearly 8.7 million, an increase of 5.5 percent from a year prior and 2.2 percent from June. Total passenger trips were up 9.9 percent year over year to nearly 24.1 million, representing a 6.2 percent month-over-month increase.
About 19.7 percent of ARC's monthly transaction volume came from New Distribution Capability transactions, a 55 percent increase year over year, with 943 agencies reporting NDC transactions throughout the month.
The July average price of a U.S. domestic roundtrip ticket continued to decline, to $523 from the $526 reported in June and the $528 reported in July 2023.
"Projections of waning traveler demand are not reflected in U.S. agency sales to start the second half of the year, which is positive news for both travel agencies and airlines," ARC chief commercial officer Steve Solomon said in a statement. "As leisure travel slows with the end of summer, airlines will look to corporate travel to continue the momentum in passenger trip growth."
ARC did not supply electronic miscellaneous document sales or transactions data, as in past reports, nor was it available on the company's website. ARC did not immediately respond to a request for the information.
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